Celebrating Hanukkah with ricotta blintzes

Published
7:00 pm EST, Tuesday, December 1, 2009

This photo taken Nov. 15, 2009 shows blintzes. The tradition of eating dairy at Hanukkah finds a good place with these lemon and dried blueberry blintzes. They have a creamy ricotta cheese filling inside, providing a tasty way to serve dairy for Hanukkah. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)

This photo taken Nov. 15, 2009 shows blintzes. The tradition of eating dairy at Hanukkah finds a good place with these lemon and dried blueberry blintzes. They have a creamy ricotta cheese filling inside,

This photo taken Nov. 15, 2009 shows blintzes. The tradition of eating dairy at Hanukkah finds a good place with these lemon and dried blueberry blintzes. They have a creamy ricotta cheese filling inside, providing a tasty way to serve dairy for Hanukkah. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)

This photo taken Nov. 15, 2009 shows blintzes. The tradition of eating dairy at Hanukkah finds a good place with these lemon and dried blueberry blintzes. They have a creamy ricotta cheese filling inside,

Fresh lemon zest and dried blueberries make the creamy ricotta cheese filling in these blintzes special. When heated, the blueberries become plump and tender. If you lack the time or inclination to make crepes, look for pre-made in the produce section at your market.

The blood orange-lime compote can be spooned over the blintzes after they cook. For an easier alternative, warm up purchased marmalade.

Lemon and dried blueberry blintzes

Start to finish: 2 hours (1 hour 10 minutes active)

Servings: 8 (16 blintzes)

For the crepes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cup low-fat milk

3/4 cup water

6 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for brushing

For the filling:

2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons sour cream, plus extra for serving

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons lemon zest

3/4 cup dried blueberries

To make the crepes, in a blender combine the flour, powdered sugar, eggs, milk, water and melted butter. Blend until smooth. Let the batter rest, refrigerated, for 20 minutes (or up to 1 day).

Heat a 10-inch, nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium. Brush the pan with melted butter (you may only need to do this for every other crepe). Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of the pan, then immediately tilt and rotate the pan to spread the batter evenly over the bottom. Cook the crepe until the edges are lightly browned and beginning to curl up, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Carefully loosen the edges of the crepe with a spatula and flip the crepe over in the pan. Cook until the second side is slightly browned, about another 20 seconds. Slide the crepe onto a plate.

Prepare the remaining crepes in the same manner. There should be enough batter for 16 crepes.

Heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.

To make the filling, in a medium bowl stir together the ricotta, sour cream, sugar, egg, egg yolk, lemon zest and dried blueberries.

To assemble the blintzes, one at a time place a crepe on a clean work surface with the paler side facing up. Place 2 tablespoons of the ricotta filling at the center of the crepe. Fold the opposite sides of the crepe over the center until they barely touch. Fold in the other 2 sides to make an envelope that completely encloses the filling. Place each folded crepe seem down in the prepared baking dish.

Brush the tops of the blintzes with melted butter and bake until they are golden and begin to puff up, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with sour cream (if desired) and blood orange-lime compote.

Blood orange-lime compote

Blood oranges give this easy-to-make compote a festive crimson color. But naval oranges or even red grapefruit work, too. The syrupy sauce will keep for at least a week when refrigerated in an airtight container. Serve it warm or cold as a topping for blintzes, pancakes, ice cream or a dish of plain, Greek-style yogurt.

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes (45 minutes active)

Makes 1 cup (about 6 servings)

4 blood or naval oranges

3/4 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lime

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of 1 orange (avoiding the bitter, white pith). Using a sharp knife, cut the strips of zest lengthwise into very thin strips. Set aside.

Using a sharp knife, cut the ends off of the oranges. Stand each orange on the cut end and using the knife, remove the skin and white pith. Over a small bowl to collect the juice, cut the oranges into segments, being careful to remove any seeds.

In a medium saucepan, combine the orange segments and juice, reserved zest, sugar and lime juice. Heat over medium-high until the mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat to maintain a fast simmer.

Cook until the oranges have broken down and the liquid is syrupy, about 45 minutes. The compote will thicken more as it cools. Serve warm or cold.